Tuesday, July 3, 2007

In my Disney and more poll - the one you can find at the bottom of each page - almost 20% of the 175 voters have said that they would like to see "News about coming theme park technologies". Well, the one that i have for you today won't probably be used in a ride system, but i will not be surprised if it appears in Disney parks in a near future, specially in any land with a "future" theme.

It's the least we can say that last week Apple's IPhone made the headline news, and this new adult toy designed by Apple wizards deserves it, really , specially with the touch screen interface. But what will be the next amazing technology? One that will be as much stunning? Here is the answer, and here is how i think WDI imagineers could use it in the parks.

Those of you who have seen Steven Spielberg "Minority report" will probably remember the giant touch screen that Tom Cruise is playing with. Well, that's it, it's no longer the future, it will be available next year, and i'm not kidding!

In fact , you're going to see on the videos below two different kind of amazing multi-touch screen. The first one is coming from Microsoft, and it's called "Surface". Just think about a Starbuck's coffee table, and imagine that all the top of it is a computer multi-touch screen, where you can display the photos you took in the morning , move them on the screen with your finger just like you will do if they were printed on photo paper, be able to make them bigger or smaller, etc...and you will not even need any USB cable to connect your camera to the screen, you will just put the camera on the screen that will identify it immediately, and a direct wifi-bluetooth link will make your file appearing on the screen.

Now, let's say that a friend of you arrive to join you for a drink, and that he love your pictures and want to have some of them. All he will have to do is to put his cellphone on the screen, the screen will identify the "zone" where the mobile is, and, by simply pushing your photos in his mobile "zone" the photos will download in his mobile instantly!

And this is just one application that this amazing "surface" screen will do, among dozen of others - like playing chess with a friend who live at the other end of the world..."Surface" will cost $5000 to $10,000 at launch, but as prices fall, similar devices will find their way into the home.

The other videos are about the same principle - a multi touch screen - but this one, created by a company called Perceptive Pixel, is two meters long, and that's the one that will make you think instantly about "Minority report". What you can do on it is simply overwhelming...it's like a dream come true...One of its creators , Jeff Han, will explain to you better than i can do how it works on the video below.

Now, what about Disney parks with all this? ( Note: for a good understanding of what will follow, it's better to have a look first at the videos below, and then to comeback here to read, thanks! ) Well, of course such a technology will find naturally its place in any Tomorrowland theming. Obviously in "Innoventions", but even more in quite a lot of Epcot pre or post-show areas - think about the one at the end of the Spaceship Earth ride, for instance...

But the interactive part of this new technology could find its place pretty well, too, in any Star Wars post-show like the one we have at Disneyland Paris. It could also be used in educational areas in Epcot, or in Animal Kingdom's conservation station, etc...

And about Microsoft "Surface", i have an idea to suggest to our friends imagineers who will read this article: what about a futuristic cafe that will be located in any Downtown Disney area - the kind of place where people are coming to relax after a day in the parks? Then, imagine that all the tables are equiped with these table multi touch screen, where people could share from their camera to the mobile phone of their children or friends the pictures they took during the day at the Magic Kingdom... wouldn't it be great? As you will see on the video, you can even serve drinks on the glass screen, no problem!

And, as you can even draw or "paint" with your fingers on Microsoft "Surface" screen, it means that it could be used, too, in any Animation tour post show like the one at Paris Walt Disney studios or at Disney Mgm...

There is a lot of ideas that WDI imagineers can have with this brilliant new tech, and you can believe me, i'm sure they are already thinking about it!

UPDATE JULY 6: I realised that i forgot that Microsoft will be coming in the new innoventions at Disneyland. You can be dead sure that you will find the "Surface" screen in it when it will open!

Now the best is that you look - and wonder - by yourself, and it's time to click on the videos below. All of them are greatand impressive, so don't miss any of them! And give me your feeling in the "comments"!

The two first videos will show you the Microsoft Surface table screen as well as a bit of the Perceptive Pixel amazing screen.

Videos three and four will show you the giant multi touch screen designed by Perceptive Pixel - let me tell you right now that it's a big "Wow"! Please note that you may have a "sponsor" message at the beginning of them for a few seconds.

And the last one is about the "Play together" system from Microsoft.

To make sure you'll be able to see these videos in case they don't appear on your screen, here are the links where you can find them:

This technology looks really interesting. Microsoft Surface is not released until later this year, so the videos are all demoing something new. Maybe there could be a use for this tech in queue areas - along with the ideas that have just been added to Soarin in WDW. Keep up the great blog Alain :)

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